12:37 AM,
Jun. 21, 2013

Joey Wall talks to friend Robert Ray (right) about the boat he just bought at H & W Marine in Bossier City.

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While some sectors of the economy are still crawling out of the recession, sales of new powerboats are close to soaring, according to numbers provided by the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

Across Louisiana and the U.S., retail sales of powerboats jumped 10.7 percent in 2012 and show no signs of tapering off.

"I've been in this business 21 years and this business has always been steady, but it's currently the busiest I've ever seen," Bayou Outdoors Supercenter general sales manager Ben Clemens said. "We are averaging 70 to 80 boats a month - and we sold 102 last month." ...